Hunted
by Dakir
Summary: Yang and Blake encounter an ancient and powerful Grimm in the Forest of Forever Fall.
1. The Drakon

"The bold are helpless without cleverness."

-Euripides

* * *

Blake put her hands on her knees and panted. She heard the crunching of leaves come from behind her and saw Yang burst through the tree line, into the clearing. "Yang!" She called, "I'm over here!"

The fiery-haired girl slowly made her way across the clearing with a slight limp in her step. "Blake," She said, her chest heaving with exertion, "We've got to keep moving, at least for now." Her partner looked behind her, fearing she would see the beast that was pursuing them.

Blake nodded, finally getting her breath back, "How's your leg?" She asked, noting the red mark running down the blonde's upper thigh.

Yang made a shooing motion with her hand, "Don't worry about it." They heard a roar rip through the forest, shaking the trees. Their eyes met as Yang said, "Let's go."

They couldn't help but glance over their shoulders periodically, fearing that the infernal thing after them might be behind every tree. They walked long into the night, as they did not want to risk stopping for rest. Eventually, however, fatigue set in and they found a spot to bed down for what remained of this haunted night.

Blake all but fell to her knees, then her back. She gazed up at the trees above her, only to see their thick trunks fade into the inky blackness of night. She lifted her head and saw Yang propped up against a tree, eyes already closed. Blake was thinking of taking the first watch when her eyelids drooped closed and she drifted off into sleep.

They were startled awake by a roar. The terrifying sound that they had been trying to escape. It was too close. Blake shot up to her feet and whipped around to face the sound, drawing her blade as she did so. She heard Yang get to her feet and load her weapons, "We've got to fight!" The black-haired girl heard from across the clearing.

Another roar sounded to Blake's right and she turned again, feeling Yang step up next to her. She grimaced as the sound pounded her eardrums, and it was all she could do to not slap her hands over her ears. The beast finally showed itself, smashing a tree to pieces as it shoved its massive head into the clearing.

The Grimm was utterly huge. Its head alone was the size of an Ursa major. The thing had massive jaws and wickedly sharp teeth. Its serpentine neck whipped around as the beast smelled its prey. A Drakon. Blake had only heard of them in bedtime stories intended to scare children to sleep. This one was real, and it was hungry.

Blake saw the beast open its mouth and dove to the side, rolling away from the jet of flame that shot at them. She got to her feet and looked across the clearing, seeing that her partner had dodged the attack as well. She ran at the beast, splitting her weapon into two blades. She launched herself high above the creature and came down on its head.

She drove her blades down towards the Drakon's neck, hoping to at least injure the Grimm. She cried out as the impact jarred her arm, sending the wider blade flying off to the side. She changed the remaining half into pistol mode just as the beast roared and shook its head violently.

Blake was thrown violently off her perch. She twisted her head to see a tree approaching far too quickly. She blinked and looked back, seeing the afterimage of herself quickly fading away. She shot by the tree and managed to get her feet under her. Her feet hit the ground and she slid, reaching down with a hand to stabilize herself.

She raised her pistol and fired a few shots at the Drakon, which only roared in anger. She saw her partner attempt to charge the beast before being turned away by a massive leg that smashed down in the clearing. "Yang!" She called, "We gotta go!"

Blake looked around and found the lost half of her weapon. She rushed over and retrieved it, returning it to her back. She then looked back up to Yang, who was running over to her. Blake raised her pistol and fired some shots over her partner's head, trying to cover their retreat. Yang reached her, and they both ran hard as the Drakon let loose another blast of flame towards them.

They scrambled out of the way, running hard for the relative safety of the forest. They ran for a long time, just as they had the day before, before finally coming to a stop. "Are you alright?" Blake managed to ask in between breaths.

"Yeah," Yang replied, "You?"

Blake nodded, "We have to find a way to defeat that thing." She said, "Otherwise…" Her voice trailed off as she left the sentence unfinished.

She saw Yang shake her head, "Don't worry," The blond-haired girl said, "Everything has a weakness. This thing is no exception."

They walked for a moment in silence before Blake replied, "I hope you're right."

They walked for another hour before they made themselves stop to rest. Blake worked on starting a fire while Yang was out trying to gather food and wood. They had been separated from their supplies a while ago, and needed something to keep them going. When Yang got back to the campsite, Blake had a small blaze going. "Yang," She said, "Have you noticed the direction this Drakon is going towards?"

Yang frowned and said, "No, I thought it was just chasing us." She placed down a few rabbits she had managed to shoot, along with a couple small logs for the fire.

Blake replied, "That's what I thought at first too, but it seemed to pass by where we slept, then came back when it had our scent." She looked into the fire, "It was heading towards the city before it came for us."

Blake was worried. The mere thought of the Drakon reaching the city sent a shiver down her spine. She wondered if anyone had heard the huge beast roar. _I hope so, otherwise they'll have no warning if we fail._

The two girls just sat there in silence for a while, pondering this new piece of information. "Well then," Yang said, putting on a defiant smile, "I guess we'll just have to stop it."


	2. Truth

The two simply sat there, listening to the crackling of the fire. They were both lost in their own thoughts, fearing for themselves, and for the kingdom. The Drakon was a fearsome opponent, and they had already failed twice. Blake hugged her knees, remembering how close their first encounter had come to ending horribly. The Drakon had burst from the ground below them, nearly swallowing Yang. It had taken all they had simply to escape the beast, and now it was hunting them.

Yang finally broke the silence, "So Blake," She said, "What made you want to become a huntress?"

Blake started, surprised by the sudden question, "Well, during my childhood, I was the victim of many injustices. I always dreamed of being able to prove myself to those that doubted me." Her eyes got lost in the fire as memories came flooding back.

Yang took a close look at her partner, "Injustices?"

"Yes." Blake replied. _At this point, I should tell her. It's only right. _She thought as she reached up for her bow.

She untied the bow and removed it from her head, exposing a pair of small fox-like ears sticking up from her head.

Yang simply stared at where her partner's bow used to be, her mouth slightly open. "You're...You're a faunus."

"Actually, only half." Blake replied, looking down at the bow in her hands, "I figure that we should be honest with each other. Seeing as we might not…" Her voice trailed off.

Yang asked, "Blake, why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" With her eyes full of compassion.

Blake shrugged, "I didn't see it as important, and some people don't take too kindly to faunus. I figured the less people that knew, the better."

Her partner frowned, "Then what kind of injustices were you talking about?"

The black-haired girl said, "As half-faunus, people from both species looked at me as an outsider, someone who didn't quite fit in. Faunus were offended by my human half, and humans by my faunus half." Her voice trembled slightly, but she was determined to tell her story, "My entire childhood consisted of being mocked, bullied, and degraded. I became a huntress to not only escape that life, but also to prevent wrongs like that from happening to people who might be living in similar conditions."

She clenched her fists to try and stop the tears, "It was just so unfair." She said in a quiet voice. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, Yang."

She felt a single tear slide down her cheek and fell onto her lap.

Yang stood and came to sit next to the distraught girl, wrapping her arms around her, "Blake, I don't care about your heritage. You're my partner and my friend, that's all that matters in my eyes." She said, "And I promise you this, we will not fail." She brought Blake's face up to look at her, "We will defeat this thing. Together."

Blake wiped the wetness from her face and closed her eyes. _Finally._ She nodded slowly, not quite wanting to believe her partner. They faced an insurmountable foe, but something about the look in Yang's eyes made her hope. Determination. Yes, that was it. Yang was utterly fixed in this mindset, and nothing anyone could do or say would move her.

Blake opened her eyes and smiled. She truly was hopeful for them now, if only for a little while. They would face down this darkness, this evil, and they would cast it out from the world. Or they would die trying.

* * *

She awoke the next morning to the distant roar of the Drakon. Yang had taken the second watch, but it was clear she had napped during the night. She couldn't blame her partner. They had been running for two days now, and they were both exhausted.

"I'm sick of this!" Yang exclaimed from across the small pit they had made for their fire. She kicked the ashes, sending a cloud spiralling up into the air. "I say we go after it! I can't stand running anymore!"

Blake sat up and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't argue, really. She was sick of it herself, and wanted to confront the source of their torment. She gave a curt nod, "I think we have to, really. Otherwise, it might reach the city before it gets back to hunting us."

Yang shot to her feet, a fire blazing in her eyes, "Let's get a move on then!" Their eyes locked, relaying an unspoken message that both of them understood. Neither of them wanted to say it, but this would be the end, either for the Drakon or for them. It was kill or be killed. And if they failed, they endangered a huge number of people.

They gathered their things and quickly made their way out of the campsite. They walked for two or three hours, Blake couldn't really tell. As they walked, they grew closer and closer to the Drakon's roars. They came upon a cliff overlooking the forest, and what they saw was a scene of devastation.

There was a trail of utter destruction in the wake of the massive Drakon. Trees the size of telephone poles snapped like twigs. All over, the forest was on fire. At the end of the wasteland, heading towards the not so distant city, was the Drakon.

This was the first time they really got a good look at it. It was huge, for one thing. Blake saw that it towered over even the tallest tree. It stood on four legs, and Blake's eyes could just make out the outline of a pair of titanic wings folded on its back. Black scales covered its body, making it shimmer eerily in the morning sun. It was covered in bony appendages that were, in turn, covered with wicked looking red markings. A set of white and red spikes ran down its spine, giving it a truly monstrous look.

Its head was similar to a lizard, only massively oversized. The head, however, sported no bony structures whatsoever. _Could that be a weakness?_ Blake wondered to herself. Surely a beast of that size didn't have such an obvious weak spot. No, when she had tried to pierce its scales with her blade, it had nearly broken her arm.

The beast let out a massive roar, sending shockwaves along the forest. She watched as the wave grew closer, then buffeted them with force. She stumbled backward, covering her ears underneath her bow.

_How are we ever going to beat this thing?!_


	3. Battle

"Alright, Blake," Yang said, her eyes never leaving the monster before them, "Let's do this." She said, loading her gauntlets in preparation for the fight.

Blake looked over at her partner, "Don't you think we should try to have some sort of plan?" She asked. _Running in there guns blazing won't do much. _

"If you have a plan," The blond-haired girl said, "Please share it with me."

Blake looked back at their enemy. _Does something that huge have a weakness?_ She watched as the beast smashed through another mass of trees. _Wait…_ Blake thought, _Why isn't it flying?_ She knew she had seen wings on the Drakon's back, but it was barrelling its way through the forest, simply breaking down trees. Why wouldn't it have just flown to the city? _Perhaps it can't, or it isn't ready to. _

She looked closer, trying to figure out the answer to this seemingly petty mystery. She was able to barely see the outline of the beast's wings on its back, but it seemed like there was nothing out of the ordinary, besides the fact that it wasn't flying.

"I might have something, although I don't know how it's going to help us." She told her partner, "But we need to get closer before I know for sure."

Yang looked at the black-haired girl with wide eyes, "Really?"

Blake nodded, "Like I said, though, it might not help us at all."

Their eyes returned to the Drakon as it ravaged the forest. "Ok, we don't have time to waste, then."

They worked their way down the cliff and began moving towards the giant beast. As they walked through the forest, they could feel the ground beneath them shudder with every step the Drakon took. After a short while, they emerged out onto the wasteland created by the creature's passing.

Trees were felled and shattered for hundreds of yards and fires blazed irregularly around the area. Blake gasped as she saw a once beautiful forest brought down by this ugly brute. In between the girls and the Grimm stood a mountain of fallen trees, rising far above their heads.

Yang whipped her arms down and launched herself to the top of the wood pile, eager to engage their enemy. Blake followed suit, using her ribbon as a grappling hook and pulling herself up. They were now behind and to the right of the creature, which let out another massive roar. The girls both had to cover their ears or risk going deaf from the sheer volume of the beast's scream.

Blake looked closely at the monster. Now that they were closer, they could clearly see the folded wings along its back. "First things first," She said, "We have to stop it from reaching the city."

Yang nodded and fired a couple of shots at the beast's hind legs. The Drakon seemed to sense the incoming danger, and swung its tail to deflect the shots. It then turned its massive neck around to look at its aggressors, letting out another deafening roar. It began to turn around its body, side-stepping with its massive legs to face its attackers.

Blake examined the beast as it swung itself around. In the center of its chest was a single shield-like bone. Around the edges of this structure, the skin of the monster was visible, but the glow under its skin was dulled by what seemed like new scales growing over it.

_It's still developing? _She wondered. _It looks like its armour isn't quite formed yet. _She could definitely see its leathery skin, but also the outlines of new scales being formed. _Maybe its wings aren't done growing either._

It finally clicked. _This thing is an adolescent. _Blake thought. _It's still growing. _That would explain why it wasn't flying, as well as why it was still growing new scales.

"Alright, Yang," She said as the beast crushed a pile of trees, "The chest is what we're aiming for. We have to break through that armour in the middle to get to the skin underneath. Then we should be able to beat it."

Yang's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "So we can defeat it?" She asked.

Blake nodded, "It should be possible, but won't be easy either."

Yang sized up their opponent, "As long as there's a possibility, that's good enough for me." She said, bringing her fists up and taking a fighting stance. "You distract it, I'll go for the chest."

"Alright." She replied, unsheathing her weapon. It would make sense for Yang to crack the armour. Blake knew that her partner had more physical strength than she did, so she didn't argue. "Let's do this." She said as she leapt off the pile of trees.

She kept her eyes locked on the monster as she approached it across the lumber field. She saw it open its mouth and send a jet of flame towards her. She leapt to the side, landing on an uprooted tree. Keeping her eyes forward, she continued charging the Drakon.

As she got near, the beast lifted a massive paw to stomp out the insect coming after it. Blake leapt high into the air and swung her ribbon toward the beast, sticking the weapon into the creature's scales. She flew up towards the massive leg, using the momentum of the Drakon's attempted attack against it. She pulled hard on her ribbon, firing it in order to dislodge it from the beast's leg.

She sailed through the air, towards the Drakon's massive back. She saw its head turn to breathe flame over her, and she twisted, swinging her weapon out on the ribbon once again. She got it wrapped around one of the spikes on the creature's back, whipping around and managing to avoid the flames as they scorched the air behind her.

Her feet finally hit the beast's back, and she took off running towards its head. She felt the massive creature shift beneath her, but continued on her course. Leaping from its shoulder, she landed on its draconian head. She swung her weapon towards its massive eye, but was shaken off her target. Her blade scraped along the Drakon's scales with a metallic grating, sending chills up Blake's spine.

The Drakon lifted its head suddenly and roared, sending Blake slipping off its head. She fell towards the ground, still looking up at the massive creature. She cocked her arm back and threw her weapon, which stuck itself into one of the beast's neck scales. As she swung, she saw Yang below her, running towards the beast, a blur of fire and heat.

She swung underneath her foe's massive head, flipping up onto its neck once more. She fired her weapon to dislodge it, and yanked hard on the ribbon. As it returned to her, the Drakon whipped its head around and glared at her. Just as it opened its mouth to attack, Blake caught her weapon. She aimed it at the monster's mouth and fired, hoping to hit something soft inside the Drakon's mouth.

She was not disappointed. She saw a flash of red as the beast snapped its mouth shut. _That injured it._ Blake thought as she flipped back onto the Drakon's back. The beast roared again, this time in pain. As Blake stood to launch another attack, she heard a massive thud shudder through the creature. It shuddered beneath her, and she pressed the attack.

Once more, she ran up the Drakon's spine to reach its head. This time, she ran in front of its eyes, towards the nose. The swung her blade down and managed to open a gash along the top of its left nostril. The beast's head flinched backward, causing her to fall. She twisted around to see a gaping void in front of her. _Not good. _She thought.

She heard the rushing of flames coming from the Drakon's gut. Grimacing, she shot forward, leaving behind an afterimage of herself to be incinerated by the flames. She flipped, her feet slapping down on the Drakon's leg. She slid down its massive leg and focused her aura into fortifying her arms. As she reached the beast's foot, she drove her blade down with furious strength.

Her blade bit through the creature's scales and into the soft flesh below. The Drakon roared in pain, furious at the damage done to it. Blake's eyes grew wide as she felt a force pushing her from behind. The Drakon's leg launched her into the air, knocking the breath from her lungs.

She gasped as she flew through the air. Twisting her body around, she managed to land safely on a fallen tree. She stood and looked at their situation. They had managed to damage the beast, but it seemed they couldn't manage anything serious. She saw Yang not too far away from her, catching her breath on a tree trunk. The black-haired girl combined her weapons into one so she could free up one hand. Blake closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her head, _If this is the end, _she thought, untying the bow covering her ears, _I will face death as what I truly am._ The black bow fell from her head and came to rest at her feet.

She let her arm drop to her side and looked up at the Drakon, which roared its anger. A small breeze blew the bow from the tree she was standing on. She lifted her eyes to meet the Drakon's, "Come and get us, you fiend!" She yelled at the beast, screaming her defiance. "I dare you!"


	4. Victory?

The Drakon obliged.

The massive beast crouched towards the ground, then launched itself forward towards the two girls. Blake glanced over to see Yang shoot herself out of the way of the giant. The black-haired girl decided to go on the offensive, using the Drakon's size against it. She positioned herself under where she thought the beast's head would be when it came down.

She guessed correctly, and looked up to see a massive set of jaws bearing down on her. She turned her blade to a pistol and began firing at the Drakon, hoping to further injure its mouth. She smiled with grim satisfaction as the beast turned its head away from her in pain, not daring to let loose another roar.

Blake moved to get out of the way, but she had miscalculated the sheer size of the beast. Its gargantuan foot came down on the tree where she stood, causing it to splinter to pieces. Blake was launched into the air, almost losing her grip on Gambol Shroud.

She spun through the air, trying desperately to right herself, but to no avail. In a last ditch effort to save herself, she focused all her aura in a hasty shield about her body. As she impacted a massive tree, she felt the defenses shatter, and the last thing she felt was a searing pain in the back of her head before the darkness came washing over her.

A loud roar brought her back to her senses. It sounded somewhat further away, but there was no mistaking the Drakon's cry. She felt her heavy eyelids lift, but didn't quite understand what she was seeing. It was as if a veil had been lowered over her vision, separating her from reality.

Blake managed to shake her head and clear it, bringing on a splitting headache emanating from where she guessed her head impacted the tree. She was able to lean forward and bring her hand behind her head, feeling a warm stickiness there. _Ow._ She thought as pain shot through her skull.

She calmed herself and channelled her aura into the wound. She grimaced as the flesh knit itself back together, and even more as the Drakon's roar sent a vibration through the earth. Finishing her self-healing, she looked up to see the Drakon locked in fierce combat with her partner. She watched as Yang let loose a wave of fire at the massive beast.

_It must've gotten her hair, _Blake thought with a small smile. She placed one hand on the ground and stood slowly, attempting to regain her sense of balance. She managed to stand, keeping one hand on the back of her head to try and dull the throbbing that remained. Blake cast her eyes around the area that she landed in, finding her weapon not too far away.

As she retrieved it, the Drakon let loose another earth-shaking roar. Blake lifted her head to face the beast as Yang launched another attack. She watched as Yang shot herself towards the beast's chest, aiming a massive punch straight at the shield-like bone in its center. Even from the distance she was at, Blake could still hear the crack that the bone made. She nearly shouted with victorious joy at the sound. _We almost have it, _she thought.

She forced the headache to the back of her mind and willed herself forward. As she ran towards the Drakon, she saw it let loose a torrent of flame at her partner as she descended from her attack. Blake tried to call a warning, but the noise of the giant beast drowned out any words she yelled.

She watched in horror as the flames engulfed Yang from behind, throwing her spiralling to the ground. "Yang!" She cried as the Drakon roared in triumph. Finally closing the gap, she threw herself to where Yang lay and knelt down beside her.

She patted out the flames licking at her partner's clothing and hair as she quickly examined her. She was burned badly along her arms and legs, but her face looked like it had only suffered minor damage. She looked to her torso, which was burned as well, but not too badly. Blake quickly glanced up at the Drakon, which glared angrily at the girls, hungry for revenge.

Blake quickly gathered Yang in her arms and took off, using her aura to augment her speed as she fled towards the tree line. She heard the Drakon roar in anger behind her, but she was determined to get Yang to safety.

Finally reaching the relative cover of the trees, she placed Yang gently down, just as she was beginning to stir. The blonde looked up at Blake with bleary eyes, "Blake?" She said, blinking in confusion, "What happened?"

"It's alright, Yang," She replied, "You got taken by surprise by the Drakon. Just focus on resting." She stood, "I'll finish this."

Yang tried to sit up, failing miserably, "No you won't. Here, help me up."

Blake could've laughed if it wasn't so heart-wrenching to see her partner so injured, "Don't be stupid, Yang. You're in no more condition to fight." She knelt back down beside her partner, gently taking her hand, "You've done all you need to do. Just rest."

"Blake…" Yang said, closing her eyes, "Don't you dare die on me."

The black-haired girl couldn't help but smile, "I wouldn't even think of it."

Blake stood, facing the Drakon once more. _It's just you and me. _She thought, _This ends here. _

She unsheathed her weapon and walked out of the tree line. The Drakon roared as it spotted her, challenging her to try and take it down. "Let's dance." Blake said as she sped off towards the monster.

The Drakon sent a stream of flame at Blake. She was forced to use her semblence to avoid it, as the flames spanned a wider area than she had thought. _I have to be more careful._ She thought. Finally reaching the beast, she split her weapon in two, changing the katana to a pistol. As she went to throw it, the monster lifted its massive foot and tried to stomp down on her.

She leapt back, out of the way of its giant claws and up onto a downed tree.. She threw her weapon, successfully sticking it into one of the creature's scales. She jumped off the tree, swinging towards the beast's underbelly. Coming to the Drakon's stomach, she positioned her feet above her and pushed off, swinging back towards the beast's chest and neck.

She emerged from the giant's shadow to see the Drakon spewing a gout of flame below it, right towards her. She was forced to abandon her attack to dodge the flames, firing her weapon and falling out of the way. She quickly combined her weapons back into one as she sped towards the earth. As she landed, she channelled her aura to her legs, pushing off hard from the ground.

She shot towards the Drakon, air whipping past her face. She brought her blade out in front of her, much like she had seen Weiss do in their practice matches, as she aimed a strike right at the Drakon's cracked shielding. She fortified her arms, fearing she may break something with the speed at which she was going.

The Drakon tried to evade the attack, attempting to twist out of the way of Blake's flashing blade. "Too late!" Blake yelled as she blinked to the side, the image of herself fading away behind her. She felt her blade dig into the chink in the monster's armour. _Got you! _She thought.

She watched as her blade bit through the bone, reaching the soft flesh blow. She let out a cry of victory before she felt a massive force explode outward, sending her hurtling towards the ground. _This is going to hurt_, she thought. Blake caught a glimpse of a massive fireball in front of the Drakon before her whole world went black.


	5. Home Sweet Home

Blake thought she heard someone yelling in the distance, "Go away," She tried to say, "I'm tired." She thought that sounded wrong though, somehow. It seemed as if she was speaking underwater, her attempted words not quite making sense.

"She...alive…" She heard someone say, as if through a veil. She opened her eyes, the bright afternoon sun dazzling her. She blinked a few times, trying to focus on the person, no, people knelt over her. A figure moved between her and the sun, allowing her to stop squinting.

When her vision cleared, she saw Ruby and Weiss knelt over her, concern etched into their faces. "Blake," Ruby said, "How're you feeling?"

Blake lifted her head slightly, her body groaning in protest, "Like I just got thrown off a cliff." She managed to say, a pain shooting through her chest. "Where's Yang?"

"She's alright," Weiss said, "Where are you hurting?" The Schnee heiress asked.

Blake paused for a moment as a bout of dizziness came over her. She let it subside before saying, "I think I broke a few ribs, other than that… I think I'm alright."

She heard Ruby sigh in relief, "Thank goodness." She said, her face finally relaxing, "I can't believe the size of that monster."

Blake tried to sit up, failing horribly before Ruby propped her up into a sitting position, "It's dead then?" She asked, "It's over?"

Weiss nodded, "Somehow, you two took that thing down." She said.

"Where's Yang?" Blake asked again, "I'm fine."

Ruby pointed, "Back where you left her, she's awake and well. She said she managed to heal the worst of her injuries when you were fighting the Drakon." She said, "She wouldn't let us help her until we came to find you."

Blake brought her knee up and attempted to stand, her comrades helping her in doing so. She put an arm over Weiss' shoulder, grateful for the assistance, "Let's go, then." She said, grimacing as the effort jarred her injured ribs.

"Take it easy," Weiss said, "You've done a lot already, no need to hurt yourself...again."

Blake focused on putting one foot in front of her at a time. They walked for a few short minutes before they came to where Yang sat, propped up now against a tree. The blonde smiled as she saw her partner, "I knew you could do it."

Blake smirked, "_We_ did it, Yang. If you hadn't damaged it beforehand, I don't think I'd have been able to beat it."

Ruby walked over to her sister, putting her arm around her, "Let's get you two to the medical bay." She said.

Neither of them argued.

* * *

Blake sat down in the cafeteria next to Yang, flashing her a friendly smile. Across the table sat Ruby and Weiss, the latter seeming very intent on her plate. Blake couldn't help but scowl, ever since she'd gotten back, the white-haired princess had avoided her at all costs.

They ate for a while in silence, none of them wanting to address the elephant in the room. Weiss had made it plainly clear that she was uncomfortable with having a faunus on her team since they returned. _Haven't I done enough to prove myself?_ Blake wondered as she bit into her sandwich. _No, of course I haven't...because I'm a FAUNUS._ She thought bitterly.

She looked up at Weiss, who was clearly trying to finish her food and escape. "Weiss," She said, "Silence isn't going to solve anything."

Weiss said nothing, only standing up as if she was done with her food. "I've got nothing to say to someone like you."

"Someone like me?!" Blake said, taken aback at the girl's remark, "What have I ever done to you?"

Weiss scowled, "It isn't you, it's your kind." She said, accusation heavy in her voice, "The White Fang in particular, but the rest of you are no better."

"The White Fang is a very small minority, Weiss." Blake said quietly, "They...have good intentions-"

"Good intentions?!" Weiss nearly yelled, "They want to exterminate humanity! How can that be misconstrued as 'good intentions'?"

"They're fighting for rights of faunus, Weiss."

"You and I both know that's a lie. They are a group of manic terrorists who want to wipe humans off the face of the earth. As far as I care, each and every one of them should be locked away in a dark, cold cell for the rest of their miserable lives."

"That's hardly fair!"

"Neither is what they've done to me and my family! They've tortured us for generations, killed scores of our businessmen, and stolen millions from us! They are nothing but a group of degenerates who have done nothing actually helpful to their cause! In fighting violently against humanity, they have only caused more discrimination and hate!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"

Blake was standing now, she didn't remember getting up, but here she was, all but screaming at the other girl. Her mouth opened slightly as she realized what she said. Her fists unclenched and her head dropped slightly.

Weiss' mouth hung open, "You...You're…" She saw the white-haired girl's fists ball up, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood. "You're part of the White Fang!"

Blake dropped her eyes to the table, "Not anymore." She said quietly, "I left them years ago."

"How can I trust you? How can _any _of us trust you? You were a part of those maniacs?" Weiss said, her teeth clenching and unclenching with anger. "You attacked my family!"

"I never wanted to hurt anyone." Blake said, tears beginning to well up behind her eyes, "I truly didn't. It...it was difficult growing up as a faunus child. I fell into the wrong crowd...got involved with some bad people...people that ended up hurting me in the end." She said as the memory of that red-haired man came to her all too vividly. "I was just angry at the world...but I never, _ever_ killed anyone, that I can promise."

Weiss looked hard at her teammate, obviously conflicted about what to do. "It's going to take more then a sob story to make up for what you did." She said. She spun on her heel and walked quickly out of the cafeteria, the anger evident in her stride.

Blake watched as she left, not moving, "I'm sorry, Weiss." She said quietly as a single tear fell to the floor.


	6. So it Begins

Nobody approached her as she left the cafeteria, but she could feel the eyes hard on her. _Great, now everyone thinks I'm a terrorist._ She emerged out into the cool evening air and heard someone hard on her heels, "Blake!" She heard Ruby call, "Wait!"

Blake continued walking, trying her best to ignore the younger girl. She came out into the courtyard, looking up at the statue in the center, _I'll be kicked out for sure now, just for being affiliated with them, and that only leaves me one option…_

She felt someone grab her shoulder and spin her around. She saw Ruby in front of her, concern evident in her eyes, "Blake, hold on." She said.

"What do you want, Ruby?" She asked, "Everyone knows about my past now. The only thing I can do is accept it."

"Don't give me that!" Ruby snapped.

Blake's mouth opened a little in surprise, "What?" 

"I said, don't give me that nonsense." She said, "After what you've done for Vale, it doesn't matter what your past was like."

"You and I both know that's not how things work." Blake replied, hanging her head, "It's only a matter of time before-"

"Blake Belladonna!"

The black-haired girl turned around to face the voice, "Professor Ozpin." She replied.

The Beacon headmaster walked slowly up to the two girls, sipping his coffee as he did so, "I heard what happened in the cafeteria. It seems your past was more...colourful...than you told us."

Blake stared at the ground, "I won't deny it."

She could feel Ozpin's eyes drilling into her skull. She heard the professor sigh, "What are we ever going to do with you four? It seems every time I leave you alone for more than a week, something bad happens."

Ruby jumped in, "Professor Ozpin, you aren't going to punish her, are you?"

Ozpin sighed again, "Well therein lies the problem, people are certainly going to question my judgement if I do nothing."

"But, professor!"

"Now, now, Ruby, settle down. We will find a way to resolve this." Ozpin said, "I won't allow one of my students to be expelled from the school because of their past. This is a place not only of learning, but of new beginnings."

Blake's heart lifted a little to hear him say that, "So...You aren't going to kick me out?" She asked, raising her head ever so slightly.

"Correct." The headmaster said, "But we also cannot do nothing. Being affiliated with a terrorist organisation such as the White Fang is a terrible crime, and even though you may not be aligned with them now, people will most likely believe that you are, and that will bring the weight of the law against you." 

"Why are you helping me?" Blake asked suddenly, looking Ozpin straight in the eyes, "If what I did is so illegal, why are you trying to help me when it would be so much easier just to hand me over to the police?"

Ozpin sipped his coffee, "Because, Ms. Belladonna," He said, "Doing what is easy is not the same as doing what is right. I believe that you truly want to change, so I wish to help you do so." He took another sip of his coffee, "There is a great future in store for you four, that I know."

Blake had to wipe her eyes, "Thank you," She said quietly, "Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a massive roar. The three of them clapped their hands over their ears, Ozpin dropping his mug, which shattered on the ground. Blake put her hands on her head, pinning her cat-like ears to her hair.

The noise subsided, and the three of them slowly recovered, "Professor Ozpin…" Blake began to say.

"I know." He replied, "But this one is much more powerful than the one you fought." He looked down at his shattered mug, a small frown coming across his face.

Ruby asked, "Another Drakon?!"

Ozpin nodded, "Wait here a moment, and contact your teammates. We're going to need some help." He turned and hurried back towards the main building.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and sent a quick message to Yang, telling her to bring Weiss and meet them in the courtyard. "Blake," she said, putting her device away, "How difficult was the other Drakon to take down?"

Blake looked to the younger girl, simply shaking her head as Yang and Weiss came running from the dorms. "What's going on? What was that?" Yang asked, "It wasn't…"

Blake nodded, looking at Weiss, then back to Yang, "Another Drakon, and this one's apparently larger and stronger than the one we fought."

Yang said nothing, only checking her weapons, ensuring they were ready for a fight. Blake looked to Weiss, who looked away, finding something interesting in the courtyard off to the side. "Weiss," She said, "Right now, we can't afford to be upset with each other. The only way to beat this thing is by working as a team, and that's what we have to do. This isn't about us now."

Weiss looked her hard in the eye, pausing a moment before giving a slight nod, "Agreed." Was all the white-haired girl said.

"Well then," Came Ozpin's voice, "It seems we've got a team."

The four girls turned to see Ozpin, accompanied by Glenda Goodwitch and the members of Team JNPR. Blake saw Ozpin holding what looked like a nightstick-type weapon with a trigger that looked similar to a bike brake over the grip. He held this over his shoulder, another mug of coffee in his other hand.

She smiled as Ruby said, "That's gonna be hard to come up with an acronym for."

"Here," Glenda said, holding out some ear plugs, "These should dampen the sound enough for it to not effect us as badly." As the students grabbed the plugs, she continued, "Now everyone is to follow our instruction, don't do anything rash, and certainly don't disobey our orders." Her eyes swept over the group, "This is to be treated like a mission, one that Professor Ozpin and myself are leading."

The group walked towards the cliffs in a grim silence. The beast's roars could be heard through the bits of wax that plugged their ears. As they approached the cliffs, they saw the shadow hanging over the city, and their eyes went skyward.

There, hanging in the sky above Vale, a massive Drakon flapped its wings. "Woooooah." Nora said.

"That's a fairly large monster." Ren commented.

"Indeed." Said Pyrrha.

"Nothing that we can't handle." Yang said, but even her voice was shaking.

"Precisely," Ozpin said, turning to face his students, "That is why you are all accompanying us." He sipped his coffee, "You eight have great ability, and now is the time to prove it. Your kingdom is under attack, and it is up to us to protect it. This is the duty of the Hunter and Huntress, and we will not fail."

The Drakon roared a challenge as it sensed the power arrayed against it, twisting in midair to face the group. Blake thought she heard Ozpin say something about his coffee before the beast hurled a ball of flame at them.

Blake removed her katana from its sheath, _So it begins._


	7. Teamwork

"Weiss!" Glenda called.

Blake's head turned to see Weiss spin her blade in a circle, conjuring up a glyph in front of her. The symbol widened until it was in between the group and the flame coming at them. The Drakon's fire smashed against the glyph, flaring outwards before dying away. As the light faded, she could see the Drakon behind it roaring a challenge.

"Open fire!" Glenda ordered.

Blake turned her weapon into a pistol and began firing. She heard the shots of her teammates going off as well, sent on a deadly arc towards the monster. She spotted a few explosions along the Drakon's flank as Nora's weapon made contact. Next to her, Yang unleashed a whistling shot at the beast. She watched as it sailed through the air and burst on the Drakon's face.

The creature let loose another roar, this one being in anger. Blake watched as it flapped its gargantuan wings once, twice, then dipped its head and shot towards the group.

"Get ready!" Ozpin called, finishing the last of his coffee, "We will not allow this beast to destroy our city!"

Blake glanced over at the professor, seeing him begin to glow a faint green. She blinked, thinking that she was seeing things, _No, he's glowing._ She confirmed, _It must be his aura._ She turned her attention back to the Drakon, which was now shooting towards them at ludicrous speeds.

She gripped her weapon as the beast approached, _This fight might end right here._ She thought in despair. At this rate, the Drakon would smash into the cliff face, ending this fight before it began. She prepared herself for impact before she saw a flare of green off to her right. She looked over to see Ozpin pointing his weapon at the beast as it extended out over the cliff. No, his _aura_ was going out to meet it._The weapon must only be a conduit for his power_, Blake thought.

The Drakon met the lance of light in midair, and was stopped cold. A massive thud sounded from across the divide. Ozpin's feet slid across the ground, but he managed to remain upright. The creature's lower body swung underneath the aura as its chest impacted the lance. It began to fall, back first, towards the giant lake below. "Team RWBY!" Ozpin called, "After it!"

Blake didn't hesitate, she took two steps and then launched herself off the cliff. She spread her arms and legs as she plummeted towards the water below. She squinted, but was able to see the Drakon slam into the water, sending waves the size of buildings away from where it landed.

As her hair flared out behind her, and she glanced over to her right, seeing Ruby and Yang both falling with her. Swinging her head around, she saw Weiss behind and above her. She turned her attention back to the water, _I have to slow down, _She realized as the water rushed up to meet her. She found that she was close enough to the monster to use it as a fulcrum and cocked back her arm as best she could. She threw her weapon towards the Drakon, which had now gotten to its feet, and silently cheered as the blade dug into a scale.

She pulled hard, changing her fall into a swing. She soared towards the massive beast, slowly realizing just how big of an enemy they had to defeat. As she swung towards its belly, she pulled the second blade from her back.

She landed on the Drakon's side, quickly dislodging her weapon. Her blade flashed downward, trying in vain to pierce the beast's thick hide. Frustrated, she jumped up and used her semblance to put more force behind her attack, but to no avail.

She felt a couple of concussions shake the beast, and it let out a massive roar. _They must be attacking it head on. _She glanced to the side to see Yang running along the creature's back with her.

"This isn't working!" She called.

Yang whipped her head around, then back to Blake, "Follow me!" Her partner called back, and began to run towards the head.

Blake followed, running parallel to the spikes on its back. She saw Yang sprinting up its neck and willed her feet to go faster, _What is she planning?_

She saw Yang's clenched fist rise up, her hair flying out behind her. Her partner smashed the Drakon's head, causing it to dip down. Yang lost her footing, slipping down towards the creature's nose, "Yang!" Blake cried.

She watched helplessly as Yang fell from view. Blake shot up the Drakon's neck, desperate to take its attention away from Yang, and swung her blade at its eye. She heard a ripping sound before it snapped shut, throwing its head back and unleashing a roar of pain.

Blake fell backwards, her feet sliding along the Drakon's scales. She dove to the side and planted her feet on the beast's leg, searching frantically for her partner. Finally, she spotted a flash of yellow before it sunk beneath the water's surface.

She shoved off the Drakon's leg, hurling herself towards the blond-haired girl. The Drakon must have struck her as she slipped, because she could discern no movement coming from her partner. She took a gulp of air before she slammed into the water, the thud of the Drakon's feet clearly audible through the waves.

Blake forced her eyes open and saw Yang sinking towards the bottom, her mouth slightly agape. She kicked hard, stowing her weapon on her back and reaching out to stop her partner's decent. Her hand brushed against Yang's, then gripped firmly onto her wrist. The Black-haired girl turned towards the surface and used her semblance to burst out of the water. She glanced up, seeing only the Drakon's massive chest rising up like a wall in front of her.

She kicked towards the shore, trying to keep Yang's head above water. She gasped for breath, now desperately kicking to remain afloat. She had to reach the beach, if not for her own survival, then for Yang's.

Just as she thought her legs would give out, she saw a flash of white in front of her. A glyph appeared below her and pulled the pair out of the water. The glyph slid across the water, carrying the girls to the shore at the base of the cliff. Blake raised her head to see Weiss' faced scrunched in concentration as the trio floated above the waves.

As they reached land, the glyph lowered slowly and placed them down on the sand. Blake turned to Yang, who was coughing up water. She helped her partner sit up and patted her firmly on the back, helping to remove the water from her system. Yang coughed a few more times before being able to talk, "Blake...thank you."

"Easy, it was nothing. If it weren't for Weiss…" She trailed off as she looked over to the white-haired girl. She nodded her thanks, "Thank you, Weiss." She said.

The girl didn't meet her in the eye, but Blake thought she saw a smile play at the corner of her mouth, "Let's go." The Schnee heiress said, "We've still got a monster to kill."

Blake stood, removing her weapon from her back, and offered her hand to Yang. Her partner grasped it and stood, gratitude evident in her eyes, "I guess that wasn't the best move." She said.

Blake shot her a look before saying, "Yeah, try to be a bit more careful, will you?"

At that moment, Ruby came flying in from over the water, "Heads up!" She yelled as her feet dug into the sand. She slid a few feet before coming to a stop, still facing their massive enemy. "We need a plan." Ruby said as she walked to the edge of the water.

The four stood for a moment before Weiss spoke up, "What if we attack it like we did the Nevermore?" She asked.

"That might work, we'll attack it from above, let's go." Ruby said, firing her weapon into the sand and propelling her away. The other three launched themselves at the beast, hurtling towards it with intense speed. Weiss helped Blake gain some height. She cocked back her arm and threw her weapon to Yang, who caught it out of the air.

Weiss gave her a puzzled look, but quickly discovered her plan. _I can get more speed than Ruby, even with her semblance. _Blake figured. She blinked forward and past Ruby, who took the end of the ribbon from her. The white-haired girl then slid along the ribbon until she reached the middle, pulling the ribbon taut with her. They shot up above the Drakon's neck, dodging fire as the beast tried to stop them. It was interrupted by a blast from Nora's grenades and Pyrrha's shield slicing across its nose.

Blake twisted her head to see their comrades attacking the Drakon's head, pulling its attention away from themselves. Weiss came up from behind and overtook her, halting the ribbon with one of her glyphs. Blake spun and faced downward at the Drakon, her feet locking into the glyph that Weiss had formed. She saw Ruby and Yang falling down on either side of the beast, stretching the ribbon even more.

Weiss stood on a glyph of her own, the strain of using so much energy evident in her face, "I hope this works." She said with tight lips.

Blake looked over at her teammate, "If it doesn't...I'm sorry." She said, knowing that, in the event that Blake's blade didn't sever the Drakon's neck, she would almost certainly die from the impact.

Weiss scoffed at the thought, "Don't be ridiculous." She said, "...But I forgive you. And I'm sorry for thinking the worst of you."

Blake smirked, "Let's do this then, ready?"

"You won't get through with just that." Weiss said suddenly, "Not enough surface area." She paused a moment, then said, "Here, take my weapon." Weiss offered, holding out the handle of her blade.

Blake hesitated, but knew that they needed to do this quickly, "Thanks." She said as she gripped the handle. She turned her head back towards the Drakon as she felt a build up of power under her feet. She crossed her arms, bringing the two blades up on either side of her, and shot off the ribbon at a blazing fast speed.

She streaked towards the Drakon's neck like a sniper's bullet on a date with destiny. The wind pinned back her hair, throwing the black bow from her head. When she was within striking distance, she blinked forward, bringing the two blades down in a deadly cross in front of her.

Her sheer speed pierced the Drakon's tough scales with a sound like shredding metal. Her blades passed through the Drakon's massive spine, sending her shooting out the other side. The impact left her dazed, and she had only a moment before she plunged into the water below.

Blake felt the gore and blood wash off her and into the lake as she sunk towards the bottom. She managed to right herself and kick towards the surface, seeing the shadow over her begin to fall. _Well,_ she thought, _This might be the end, but at least we did it._

As her head broke the surface, she gasped for one last breath, _I will die happy._ She thought as she shut her eyes. She heard the Drakon's massive body falling towards her, and she had no hope of getting out of its way.

But it seems that fate would have her live a little longer.

Blake opened her eyes to see a blinding green light before her, holding up the entire body. She couldn't believe the power required to do so, but Ozpin's aura lifted the beast away from Blake. She glanced around to see Ruby and Yang in the same position, treading water and gaping up at the now floating body of the Drakon.

"Wow." She uttered in disbelief.

Her head followed the massive body as Ozpin moved it over in the water enough so that the girls were safe. Blake didn't wait. She swam over to Yang, who laughed and said, "Remind me never to mess with Professor Ozpin!"


	8. Past, Present, and Future

Blake lay on her bed, utterly exhausted from the previous night's events. Ozpin had exempted them from classes that day, and Blake couldn't be more grateful. She rolled her head to the side, looking over at her partner, who was still fast asleep, _Thank goodness we all made it._ She thought, _Although, what's to say there isn't another one out there? _She sighed, figuring that, if there was another Drakon out there, they'd deal with that one too.

The black-haired girl couldn't help but fear the thought of having to fight yet another Drakon. _I mean, we barely defeated this one unscathed,_ She thought, _And we had Ozpin helping us. I don't even want to think about having to fight a fully grown one without his help._

She rolled over onto her stomach, sliding her hands underneath her pillow, and sighed again. _At least I cleared my name, though. _Nobody could doubt her intentions now. They had all risked their lives to destroy the Drakon, and now it seemed that, finally, Blake's past no longer mattered. She was a huntress, and she wasn't going anywhere.

As her eyes slowly drooped shut, she smiled. She no longer needed to hide who she was, or worry about her past. It seemed that, for once, the burdens had been lifted from her shoulders.

* * *

Cinder walked slowly across the forest. The fallen leaves crunched beneath her feet, and the cool air blew her hair back out behind her. She emerged out of the treeline to see a wasteland of fallen trees and scorched earth.

"Let's have a look at this beast." She mumbled to herself.

Seeing nothing but tree trunks before her, she conjured up a flame in her hand. She sent it at the wall of dying wood, and it grew into a roaring inferno. The trees in front of her were reduced to ash, and the trees not vaporized began burning furiously.

She let her power die, having created a clear path to the body of the Drakon. She walked down the corridor of flames, relishing in the heat thrown off by her power.

Cinder approached the Drakon's dissolving body, _Interesting,_ She thought, _It seems this is the only Grimm that doesn't immediately turn to smoke upon its death. _She walked up to the monster's chest, seeing it cracked in half by some powerful force. _But, even for all its size, it couldn't defeat a couple of wannabe huntresses._

She peered at the gaping crack in the Drakon's otherwise impenetrable armour, _Although it seems that one of them, at least, knew how to fight. _

She looked up at the beast's head, _There's someone I have to keep an eye on._ She thought as she turned and walked back through the flames, black smoke rising up behind her, _I can't have someone that strong running about unchecked. They might interfere..._

* * *

**Thanks everyone for reading! This last chapter is a short one, but nothing else needs to be said, I think. We'll see where it goes, and there may be a sequel in the future. Thanks again!**


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